The Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback, at the age of 38, knows the end is not far away.

In regular-people years, of course, the man known as Smilin’ Hank is in the prime of his life. In professional football-player years, he’s a wise old man.

With that in mind, Burris, who threw his first pass in the Canadian Football League in 1998 with the Calgary Stampeders, put his mind to a new training regimen once he returned to his off-season home in Calgary, determined to arrive at Tiger-Cats camp a little more fleet afoot.

Under the watch of personal trainer James Gattinger at the Bob Niven Training Centre at Canada Olympic Park, Burris concentrated on workouts that centred on explosiveness, whether it was squats and cleans in the weight room or Pilates to strengthen his core muscles.

“When it comes to old age, you lose your quickness before you lose your speed,” Burris said after the Ticats practised Tuesday.